According to a known electrical connector, keying posts on an underside of an insulating housing of the connector are adapted to register in apertures in a circuit board. The posts in the apertures accurately position the housing relative to the circuit board. Pin portions on electrical contacts project from the housing for connection to conductive areas arranged in a pattern on the circuit board. The conductive areas are on the surface of the circuit board for connection to surface mount contacts, and are also in apertures through the circuit board for connection to aperture mounted contacts.
According to U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,649,387 and 5,129,832, a pin spacer aligns pin portions of electrical contacts accurately with conductive areas arranged in a pattern on a circuit board. The pin spacer engages and aligns the pin portions where they project from a housing of an electrical connector. According to U.S. Pat. No. 4,842,528, a pin spacer can be constructed unitary with the housing of the connector. A unitary pin spacer assures accurate location of the pin spacer relative to the housing of the connector. However, a unitary pin spacer requires a complicated assembly operation, according to which, the electrical contacts are first inserted in the housing of the connector, and subsequently, the pin portions of the contacts are bent to move them into alignment against the pin spacer.
A pin spacer can be constructed as a separate part. This construction allows adjustment of the pin spacer to a desired position relative to the pin portions. However, the pin spacer, being a separate part, is subject to misalignment relative to the housing of the connector. Such misalignment of the pin spacer causes misalignment of the pin portions relative to a pattern of conductive areas on the circuit board.